day of sleep

June 21st: Day of Sleep

18. June 2018 von Redaktion Leave a Comment

For the German association „Tag des Schlafes e.V.“ (Day of Sleep) the longest day and hence the shortest night of the Northern Hemisphere is reason to draw the attention to sleep and its significance for our health, our well-being as well as our motivation and performance. When you are having too few and/or bad sleep you are more easily irritated, more impatient, more prone to mistakes as well as to sickness. Besides exercise and nutrition, sleep plays a key role in the harmonious continuity of our vital energies. This day offers the possibility to reflect your personal sleeping behaviors as well as the value you place to sleep. And to optimize it, if necessary.

We constantly sleep less as well as more and more inefficient

In reality, the number of people with constantly bad sleep has never been larger than nowadays. At the same time, many of us consider sleep as “waste of time”. But, several of our current problems are rather due to a lack of sleep duration as well as of sleeping quality than to a waste of time due to sleep. Too less sleep affects all levels of our lives: During sleep take place:

70 % of our physical and
100 % of our mental recovery.

It becomes clear, that lack of sleep has a severe impact on our physical power and mental fitness.

On the one hand, most employees, students and especially adolescents accumulate a sleep debt of about five hours per week and are constantly tired. On the other hand, the time spent in bed is no longer efficient. Even if you spend eight hours in bed – some actually sleep just about six hours. It’s quite clear that this has negative effects – physically and mentally.

Better sleep clearly increases performance and protects from diseases

The positive effects of sleep on our performance are easily visible with athletes. Athletes with a good and sufficient sleep are measurably more effective, their risk of injuring is lower, and they are in a better mood. Furthermore, healthy, restful sleep is a valuable prevention for diseases and health disturbances. Starting with infarction and cardio-vascular disturbances via metabolic disorders and diabetes II up to Parkinson’s, Alzheimer’s, dementia and cancer.

Emotional disturbances due to bad sleep

Until now, it was clear that almost all people with mental diseases suffered under sleep disturbances. What’s new, is the fact that sleep disturbances actually are basis for mental diseases like studies of the University of California prove. Thus, bad and especially too few sleep lead to disturbances in emotional behavior and to failure of rational control.

Utilize the forces of healthy sleep

Healthy, restful sleep has certain conditions. Beginning with our daily habits concerning exercise and nutrition, time spent in fresh air via sleeping rituals, a natural sleeping underlay completed with a cozy duvet and a pleasant pillow up to a balanced and undisturbed room climate – all these things significantly influence our sleeping quality. And therewith our quality of life.

Source: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4190836/

Imagesource: @Fotolia

Health risk sleep disturbance

21. June 2017 von Redaktion Leave a Comment

June 21st – Day of Sleep

Sleep, too, has got its own day of action that takes place today, June 21^st. Goal of the day of action is the importance of healthy and restful sleep and to draw attention to the health risk sleep disturbance and to prejudices concerning sleep.

Health risk sleep disturbance

About 45 % of the global population suffer more or less severely under sleep disturbances. Disturbances to fall asleep and to sleep through, snoring, sleep apnea or restless-legs-syndrome are some examples of sleep disturbances.

Not always, sleep disturbances are from physical origin (like snoring, sleep apnea). Disturbances to fall asleep and to sleep through might also be from mental origin (like stress, anxiety, depressions, and burn-out). Sleep is for relaxation and regeneration of body and mind. But, when you are suffering under sleep disturbances exactly these two are missing. Amongst others, daytime sleepiness, exhaustion, lack of concentration, decreased performance arise; also, our physique reacts.

Are you too suffering under sleep disturbances? Have you ever thought about changing your habits and checking your sleeping place? Because, our habits and our sleep surrounding significantly influence our sleep.

5 tips for healthy sleep

Nutrition: A balanced diet significantly contributes to healthy sleep. Eat as much fibers (vegetables, fruits, nuts, grains) and as few saturated fats (except coconut oil) as possible. Largely do without sugar. This helps you to find a deep, restful sleep.
Movement: Regular exercise and sports in fresh air significantly support healthy sleep.
Room- and bedding climate: Care for an optimal room climate. The ideal bedroom temperature is between 16° and 18° C, the humidity between 40 and 60 %. Use natural materials, like the ideal climate fiber sheep wool. Sheep wool has the characteristic to absorb humidity up to a third of its own weight and to quickly release it into the surrounding air. Overlays and covers filled with sheep wool care for a dry-warm bedding climate.
Sleeping system: Your sleeping system should be able to relief and to support your body during the night. By using a holistic and – most important – orthopedic sleeping system you reach optimal regeneration. Because, about 70 % of the mental and about 100 % of the physical regeneration happen during sleep.
Relaxation: Leave every-day’s hectic and stress behind. Read a good book before going to bed. Or try to relax with yoga or autogenous training.

Imagesource: @SAMINA

Had a good sleep?

1. July 2016 von Redaktion Leave a Comment

Last week on 21^st of June, we were celebrating the day of sleep. This day was initiated in 2000 by the association “day of sleep” to call attention to the importance of sleep. After all, according to studies every third person is suffering under sleep disturbances.

Due to frequently growing inner and outer influences, the number of those who have more and more frequent problems to keep their vital energies balanced significantly increases. Here, healthy sleep is having an important role besides healthy nutrition and sufficient exercise. Bad sleep is influencing all levels of our life – most severely it is has an influence on our performance, health and mental fitness. Specialists assume that one main reason for sleep disturbances is the lacking acceptance of the importance of sleep. In the western performance oriented society, sleep is considered to be unproductive and “a waste of time”. Furthermore, the development moves towards a sleepless society. Service facilities are open around the clock – and this has an effect on sleep. During the day, some people sleep during short breaks. Some companies enable their staff to take a short power nap during lunch-break. In Japan, for example, some companies provide beds for people with a need for sleep.

Have you ever thought about your sleeping behavior? Is sleep for you a necessary evil or do you enjoy sleeping and the benefits you get from sufficient and restful sleep? This time of the year with long days and short nights is perfect for thinking about your personal sleeping habits!

The sleeping third

On an average, we are sleeping one third of our life. Meaning, when becoming 75 years, we’ve slept 25 years in total! And – not only at the day of sleep, no, every time we sleep there are happening many important things in our body. One of the most important relationships seem to be the one to the brain. Examinations show that sleep is playing a decisive role for our intelligence. On the one hand, emotional things are processed during REM-sleep. On the other hand different processes (including regeneration) happen during sleep.

Sleep duration

How much sleep a human being needs is individually different. It is said that Napoleon, for example, only slept four hours, Thomas A. Edison even only two hours. But, there are long sleepers, as well: Albert Einstein needed 12 hours of sleep to feel well rested. No question, the need for sleep changes when getting older: babies need about 16 hours of sleep, elderlies often only six hours.

Deep and sufficient sleep is one of the most important things in our life. But, with more and more people the night turns into the day. A recent study revealed that sleep duration as well as sleep depth are decreasing. Many of our modern problems clearly are due to lack of sleep and lack of sleeping quality. Most students and working people accumulate a sleeping debt of a couple of hours per week. Furthermore, the sleep no longer is efficient. Often, we spend eight hours in bed, but only sleep six or seven. It is easily understandable that this is negatively influencing body and soul.

To find out the effects of good sleep on our performance we take a look at athletes. The finding of different studies are clear: Athletes with a good and sufficient sleep are measurably more effective and in a better mood. Furthermore, healthy, restful sleep is significantly preventing health disturbances and diseases. Beginning with cardiovascular diseases, heart attacks, diabetes type II via metabolic diseases up to Alzheimer’s, Parkinson and cancer.

Receive further information at no charge in the sleep-healthy-guidebook “sleep yourself young, fit and successful”.

Image Source: @fotolia